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Bringing dinosaurs back to life: Scientists are closer than you think

Also in this week's Maclean's:
- Andrew Coyne on why legislating all Canadian boaters to wear life-
jackets is simple-minded
- The case for rushing into marriage
TORONTO, Aug. 13 /CNW/ - It might sound like it's straight out of the
fictional Jurassic Park, but Canadian scientists think they're
closer-than-ever to bringing dinosaurs back to life. Unlike in the movie
though, the project is not based on using DNA-a crucial difference, because in
real life, dino DNA hasn't been recovered. The real life plan is based on
making a few genetic tweaks to the dinosaur's modern-day ancestor, the bird.
The new creature might just be hatched from a chicken egg.
Beyond the ethical questions surrounding the work being done by
scientists at McGill University - or even practical questions, such as how and
where such a creature would live-resurrecting a dinosaur is not nearly as
far-fetched as you might think.
Drowning in a sea of simple-mindedness:
In the first week of August this year, eight Canadians tragically drowned
in a series of accidents in Ontario's cottage country. To most, the lessons to
be drawn from these misfortunes might be apparent. Don't jump into waterfalls.
Don't go sailing if you can't swim. Don't get into a canoe drunk after dark.
But to one major Ontario daily, the only appropriate response is federal
legislation. National Editor Andrew Coyne examines the numbers and absurd
logic around the knee-jerk call to action.
Against all odds
Is it crazy to marry someone you've known only a few weeks? A lot of
smart people don't think so. Senior Writer Anne Kingston looks at research
that suggests a quick impulse to marry can be prescient, even shrewd.
About Maclean's:
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